Originally published February 2017. Updated June 2026.
Amazon India is the operating geography Amazon entered in 2013 and has invested an estimated $6.5 billion-plus across, competing against the homegrown Flipkart (acquired by Walmart in 2018 for $16 billion) and Reliance Retail’s JioMart (the Mukesh Ambani-led entrant that scaled fastest across 2020 to 2025). The 2017 framing — that Amazon had met its match in India after the floor-mat and flip-flop product controversies — turned out partially right. Amazon did not dominate India the way it dominated other geographies. The competitive structure stayed three-way.
Part of the EPR Amazon coverage. Master hub: Amazon — The AI Shopping Layer.
The 2013 entry and the early product missteps
Amazon launched Amazon.in in June 2013, four years after Flipkart had become India’s dominant e-commerce operator. Amazon committed an initial $2 billion to the Indian market in 2014 and increased the commitment to $5 billion in 2016. Jeff Bezos personally visited Bangalore on multiple occasions and Indian operations reported directly to Amazon executive leadership.
The product missteps that defined the 2017 narrative were operationally minor but reputationally significant. The Amazon.com US marketplace listed doormats featuring the Indian flag and flip-flops bearing the visage of Mahatma Gandhi, both removed after Indian government officials including Shaktikanta Das (then Secretary of Financial Affairs, later RBI Governor) publicly objected. The episodes reinforced an emerging perception that Amazon’s US-centered operational culture struggled with India-specific cultural sensitivities.
The Flipkart sale and the Walmart entry
The structural moment in Indian e-commerce competition was the May 2018 announcement that Walmart would acquire 77 percent of Flipkart for $16 billion — the largest e-commerce acquisition globally at the time. The deal closed in August 2018 and made Flipkart a Walmart-backed competitor with materially deeper capital reserves. Amazon had reportedly considered acquiring Flipkart itself but lost the bid to Walmart.
The Walmart-Flipkart entry compressed Amazon’s commercial positioning in India. Flipkart held the lead in mobile-first Indian shopping, owned the Myntra fashion vertical, and operated PhonePe (the digital payments platform that grew into one of India’s dominant UPI operators). Amazon held strong positions in books, electronics, and Prime Video subscriptions but did not break Flipkart’s lead in core e-commerce volume.
Reliance Retail and the JioMart entry
Reliance Industries, chaired by Mukesh Ambani, launched JioMart in 2020 as a digital extension of the Reliance Retail physical-store network of more than 18,000 stores across India. Reliance Industries deployed an estimated $5.7 billion in fundraising into Reliance Retail and JioMart across 2020 to 2021 from Silver Lake, KKR, General Atlantic, Mubadala, and Saudi PIF. The combined Reliance retail and digital footprint became the largest in India by 2022.
The competitive dynamic in 2026 is structurally three-way. Reliance Retail and JioMart lead by combined GMV across physical and digital. Flipkart leads by pure-play e-commerce GMV. Amazon Prime India trails in pure-play e-commerce but leads in Prime Video subscriptions, premium product categories, and small business seller monetization through Amazon’s Saheli and Karigar programs.
Where Amazon India sits in 2026
Amazon India operates roughly 90 fulfillment centers across India as of 2026, serves more than 100 million unique customers annually, and runs Prime in India at approximately 25 million members. The Indian Prime price point at ₹1,499 per year is materially below the US Prime price but produces meaningful engagement — Prime Video India is one of Amazon’s most-watched non-US Prime Video markets. Amazon Pay India operates as a UPI-integrated digital wallet.
The Indian government’s 2018 e-commerce policy framework restricts foreign-owned platforms from selling their own first-party inventory through marketplace structures — a rule that materially constrains Amazon’s operating model. Amazon India is now a strong number-two-or-three position rather than the dominant platform Amazon expected to build.
What it means for global brand teams operating in India
Three operating implications for brand teams managing India e-commerce strategy.
India is a multi-platform market. Brand teams that build Amazon-only India strategy miss the majority of the e-commerce surface. Flipkart, Myntra, JioMart, Nykaa, Tata Cliq, and BigBasket all matter.
The seller-program differentiation is real. Amazon Saheli (women entrepreneurs), Amazon Karigar (artisans), Amazon Launchpad (startups) have produced differentiated seller penetration that Amazon competitors have not fully matched.
Prime Video India is the durable lead. Amazon’s investment in Indian-language original programming, regional film catalogs, and live sports rights including ICC cricket coverage has produced the strongest Prime Video position outside the US.
Amazon launched Amazon.in in June 2013, four years after Flipkart had become India’s dominant e-commerce operator. Amazon has committed an estimated $6.5 billion-plus across the Indian market since entry.
Who bought Flipkart?
Walmart acquired 77 percent of Flipkart in August 2018 for $16 billion, the largest e-commerce acquisition globally at the time. The deal made Flipkart a Walmart-backed competitor to Amazon in India.
What is JioMart?
JioMart is Reliance Industries’ e-commerce platform launched in 2020 as a digital extension of the Reliance Retail physical-store network of more than 18,000 stores. Reliance deployed approximately $5.7 billion across 2020 to 2021.
How big is Amazon India in 2026?
Amazon India operates roughly 90 fulfillment centers, serves more than 100 million unique customers annually, and runs Prime India at approximately 25 million members at ₹1,499 per year.
Why does Indian e-commerce policy matter to Amazon?
The Indian government’s 2018 e-commerce policy framework restricts foreign-owned platforms from selling their own first-party inventory through marketplace structures. The rule materially constrains Amazon’s typical operating model.
How does Prime Video India compare to other markets?
Prime Video India is one of Amazon’s most-watched non-US Prime Video markets. Amazon has invested heavily in Indian-language original programming and live sports rights including ICC cricket coverage.
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